


Sparks in the rain

by ConvenientAlias



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2020-03-09 05:48:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18910810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConvenientAlias/pseuds/ConvenientAlias
Summary: Azula, runaway from prison, meets Katara in the pouring rain.





	Sparks in the rain

“You chose the wrong night to meet me.”

Azula turns at the sound of Katara’s voice. She is standing at the edge of the clearing, where her note said she would be. Her posture is stiff, perfect. Her clothes are soaked from the pouring rain. Overhead, a grumble of thunder.

Her expression is perfectly serene, and Katara narrows her eyes. Azula’s been missing for some weeks now, ever since breaking out of the prison in the Fire Nation capital. Now she turns up here. She should run from Katara, but she’s meeting her on purpose instead.

“Why the wrong night?” Azula says. “The rain? I thought it might make you comfortable to be at an advantage. But I don’t want to fight.”

“Great. Then I can take you in without any trouble.” Katara raises water around her like a wall, pulling it from the air easily. Azula might be acting peaceful now, but there’s no way it’s anything more than a front.

Azula’s eyes widen. She steps a bit closer. “Will you really give me back to the Fire Nation, Katara? After I’ve gone to all this trouble to come to you instead. After all our long conversations, I hoped you might show me some pity.”

“You hate pity.” They had had many long conversations, Katara visiting her in her cell, and none of them ever got anywhere but arguing and hate—Azula didn’t want sympathy even when it was offered. “And we have a truce with the Fire Nation that I won’t break. If you’ll come quietly Firelord Zuko will be merciful.”

“Zuko will be merciful anyways.” Azula spits out the words. “But really, Katara? I thought at least you’d appreciate having me all to yourself. No pity—then offer me something better.”

“What’s that?”

Azula’s lips curve into a grin. Then the sky flashes white, and she moves—and between her hands dances a strand of lightning, storm-birthed, stronger than any Azula could weave on her own. It crackles with tension.

“Offer me your submission,” Azula hisses, “or your death.”

Katara whips her water chain forward, but it’s a mistake. The lightning lances straight through the water to its source, Katara herself. Her throat burns with screaming as she tumbles to the ground.

* * *

 

The surprising thing is that she wakes up.

She wakes up in a little tent, still in the same forest. She’s been tied up. Azula is sitting beside her, intent on something in her lap. When Katara clears her throat, she looks over.

“Why am I still alive?”

Azula shrugs. “You’re tough; you survived. I figure you’ll be useful as a tool against Zuko… one way or another.”

Katara would think Azula pulled her strike, but there’s no way to temper the force of lighting, is there?

Azula’s gaze on her is ponderous. All she says, though, is “you went down too easy. How can you be the person who defeated me? You’re too weak.” She huffs and stalks outside the tent.

Katara flexes her fingers. They are trembling—lightning has aftereffects. Her chest hurts too, and she’ll have to treat the burns, but she can’t think about that right now. The tent is on damp ground; quietly, she pulls moisture out of the air and makes a tiny knife out of the water. It is not very sharp, but she works at her bonds slowly and carefully, and frees herself within minutes. Azula should know better than to think she can keep a master waterbender prisoner.

She’s too smart to let Katara live, yet she did so anyway. Maybe she’s afraid of the consequences of killing Katara, or maybe she has some plan Katara can’t fathom. Either way, Katara will take advantage of her mistake. She stalks out of the tent ready to fight. But Azula is nowhere in sight.

Katara could wait for her to come back, or go out and search for her, but her body is weak from their fight earlier. She stumbles away from the tent instead, heading blindly through the forest. And eventually she comes upon the trail towards the nearest village. She has to rest, and heal, and send a message to Zuko and probably Aang about Azula’s whereabouts.

She’s surprised, when she examines her wounds later, to find there is salve already on the lightning burns. Healing is not an art she pictures Azula practicing. The burns are on her chest and back; she pictures Azula’s hands spreading the ointment over her burned skin, those clawlike fingers aspiring to gentleness. She bites her lip.

She’s been called in to heal Azula once or twice while Azula was in prison; Azula would rant about the indignity of it, but Katara always huffed and said it was nothing personal. Just her duty as a healer.

…Azula isn’t a healer though. She’s a killer. Usually.

Katara takes some water and begins her own methods, working on her injuries. Her methods are much more effective than salve. Why bother to think about it?

If she doesn’t write to Zuko or Aang about Azula having been here for a day or two, it’s because she’s tired and sore. That’s all. If it gives Azula something of a head start, that’s just too bad. Katara can’t be expected to handle everything. Someone else can capture her this time.

Though she has a funny feeling that they will fight again, or meet again, anyhow.

**Author's Note:**

> Femslashficlets is having its remainder week, so this is for the old prompt of "weather". In a thunder storm I think Azula and Katara both have their advantages, but seeing as this is a ficlet, I had no room to write a proper duel. I mean, as is I barely even made it femslash--it's alllmost gen. But that's how I am with a lot of shippy fic, unfortunately.  
> I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
